We arrived in Athens early in the morning. The Lufthansa Business Lounge was right next to the Aegean Lounge. Since we will be flying via Munich and Frankfurt later in the trip and will have other opportunities to try the Lufthansa lounges, we decided to visit the Aegean Lounge here.
It wasn’t crowded, though there were quite a few people around. They had a huge spread of food and drinks. We freshened up and had a quick breakfast. The lounge featured luggage lockers—something we found missing in Lisbon—so we consolidated our bags, took just one backpack, and headed out to see Athens.
We took the X95 bus from the airport to the city. It took a little over an hour to reach the center, giving us a chance to have a quick nap. We got off at Syntagma Square and started walking towards Monastiraki Square. We saw the Statue of St. Chrysostomos of Smyrna in the park surrounding the Holy Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary.
The church is a mixture of Greco-Byzantine and Neoclassical architecture. The entrance features an intricate mural above the main door. There is also a large courtyard in front that houses a statue of Archbishop Damaskinos Papandreou.
Next, we headed to the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary (Panagia Kapnikarea). It was fascinating to see such an ancient Byzantine structure surrounded by modern urban buildings. This is said to be one of the oldest Greek Orthodox churches in the city.
We reached Monastiraki Square and decided to sign up for the New Athens Free Tour 🔗. We waited a few minutes for the group to assemble and then set off with our guide. It was a lovely way to spend a few hours, and the tour concluded near the entrance to the Acropolis.
We then headed to Areopagus Hill to get a different vantage point of the Acropolis and the city. The rocks were quite slippery, so you had to be careful while walking around.
I also took a short hike up Philopappos Hill. The right path to the summit was a bit tricky to find, but I eventually made it. The views of the Acropolis and the sprawling city from the lookout point were superb.
We walked back toward Syntagma Square, passing Hadrian’s Arch along the way. It is an impressive gateway with columns named after the Roman emperor. We also caught a glimpse of the nearby Temple of Olympian Zeus.
Further on, we saw the Zappeio Roman Baths, an archaeological site right next to the Zappeion Garden featuring well-preserved ancient structures.
Next was the Hellenic Parliament, an impressive, stately government building. It also houses the Monument to the Unknown Soldier.
We wanted to visit a few more spots, but the heat and fatigue caught up with us, so we decided to head back to the airport.
The Aegean Lounge was much more crowded now, but we eventually found a seat and enjoyed another great spread of food.
When it was time for our flight, we walked to the boarding area, which was quite congested. The gate agents were strictly enforcing carry-on sizes; unless passengers were in Business Class or had elite status, large bags were being gate-checked. The flight was delayed, and passengers with tight connections were becoming anxious. Boarding finally started once the inbound passengers deplaned and the aircraft was readied. Service on Lufthansa 1755 consisted of water and a chocolate. We enjoyed beautiful views of Athens at night after takeoff and had a comfortable flight to Munich.
We had a decent amount of connecting time in Munich today, a nice change from the sprint we had to do a few days ago 🔗. We headed to the Lufthansa Senator Lounge for a quick supper before our onward journey.
The lounge was comfortable with a good variety of food and drinks. When it was time to board, we headed to the gate for flight Lufthansa 2468 to Reykjavík. We tried to catch some sleep as we flew northwest toward Iceland.
